Gemma Bridge
Half human, half Crystal Scout, Gemma Bridge is the protagonist of a Steven Universe/Sailor Moon crossover that has yet to be named. Personality Appearance Gemma's Crystal Scout heritage means she ages half as fast as the average human. For example, she is 14 years old but looks only 7, and probably will not start puberty until her late twenties. Other aspects she inherited from Sailor Rose Quartz include the candy-pink tinge to her skin, pink eyes and the pink ombre effect in her hair. As well as a (slightly weaker) human heart, Gemma also has a "crystal heart"-a gemstone Crystal Scouts carry around with them which contains their soul and power, like an external heart. It is an almost white pale pink. History Background Once upon a time an average man called Greg Bridge fell in love with Sailor Rose Quartz, and their feelings eventually became strong enough to warrant sex. However, Crystal Scouts have no reproductive organs, and so Sailor Rose Quartz shapeshifted a womb to grow baby Gemma in instead. Everything was looking healthy-until nine months after Sailor Rose Quartz conceived, she was informed that that's when human babies are born. She didn't really know how birth works-and literally tore herself apart bringing Gemma into the world. Heartbroken, Greg raises Gemma for a while until bad guys discover that this is no ordinary baby and attack them. Sailors Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl, sensing Gemma's hidden ability to become a Crystal Scout, take Gemma away from Greg and raise her as their own. Becoming a Crystal Scout Gemma has lost count of how many times her and her adoptive sisters (with the civilian names Annette, Amy and Pearl) have moved from town to town, usually because someone has discovered they are Crystal Scouts-well, most of them. They manage to secure a house and business pretty quickly, and get down to continuing Gemma's demanding training regime even quicker. Though they know Gemma has a Crystal Scout form, she has never been able to use it. Instead, when it comes to real-life situations, they make her change into a costume of a mask, overalls, a hat and a cape to keep people from recognizing her. In this form, she takes the alter ego Gemstone Mask. After a couple of fights, the Crystal Scouts' heroics quickly make the news. Gemma in particular has been able to hide her identity from her peers-most of them. Not long after she enrolls in school, a quiet loner named Anzu Ohyama confronts her about being Gemstone Mask. Helped by the guilty expression on Gemma's face and the fact that she claimed not to even know who Gemstone Mask was when her and some others were discussing it two days ago, Anzu draws evidence from Gemstone Mask's costume and physicality (platform shoes to make her look taller, a voice that, come to think of it, sounds like Gemma's, and most importantly, their same-coloured hair.) to bust Gemma's façade. Lucky for Gemma Anzu promises not to tell anyone, and in return Gemma promises to invite her round hers soon and tell her the truth. Gemma's school decides that all students in her year must find work experience for a while. Gemma has a hard time because she looks like a small child, but just when all hope seems lost, the owner of car wash Drown Your Car offers her a job. Pearl, Amethyst and Garnet are sceptical about this. Pearl is worried that the owner, Mr Bridge, is a paedophile, and makes Gemma wear some hard-to-take-off trousers as a result. Without Gemma knowing, they decide to have Sailor Amethyst spy on her. The Scouts' fears are rather misplaced. Mr Bridge is very relaxed and friendly, and even lets Gemma go home and fetch her DS so she can use it in a generously long break. Plus, the only times he touches her comes in the form of infrequent pats on the shoulder. But Gemma notices that he often looks at her with this really sad look on his face. She confronts him about it, and he explains that he had a daughter who was taken away by social services when his wife died. She was only a baby, and Gemma reminds him of her, only "she would be about 14 now." One day, Drown Your Car is attacked. Since Gemma is working there at the time, she is easily able to alert the others, who defeat them easily. However, Sailor Garnet was going to give Gemma something after the battle when they had the time, and it's gone missing. After a fruitless search, they frustratedly give up and go home. Gemma wonders what this thing is, and why it's so important. When they get back though, there is a strange letter in the post, where the anonymous writer says that he will give the "Facilitator" back if he can spend some more time with his daughter. There is a return address-that of Drown Your Car. Gemma asks Amethyst, Garnet and Pearl who this kidnapped daughter is-they explain that it's her. Gemma is shocked and disgusted about how the other Scouts kept such a big secret from her, and even that they didn't allow Greg to see her even once. Her trust betrayed, Gemma runs off to Drown Your Car, where she tells Greg everything that went down. When the Scouts come after her, he decides that the bargain has been upheld, and, as promised, gives them this mysterious "Facilitator"-a circular white box with (fake) gold trimmings. Relationships * Anzu Ohyama Gemma is at first very wary of Anzu, because they first met when Anzu confronted Gemma over actually being Gemstone Mask. Eventually though, they grow into great friends, and possibly something more. * Sailor Garnet * Sailor Amethyst * Sailor Pearl * Greg Bridge * Sailor Rose Quartz Gemma never got to know her mother face-to-face because she died giving birth to her. What she knows about her comes as slightly rose-tinted memories from Greg and the remaining Crystal Scouts. Quotes * "Look, Sailor Rose Quartz died, and y'all miss her. I get that. There's just one problem: I'M NOT HER!" * "I understand why you told me that social services lie. I've had to lie too to cover up Crystal Scout stuff more times than I can count. And then there was that bombshell my sisters just dropped-they knew where you were the whole time, and they never let me even call you once. Not once! *laughs a little* I don't blame you for holding this Facilitator thing hostage either... how could anyone! All you wanted was to see me again after so long... I can't believe they'd do something like that. Having to negotiate to get what should be a given-I guess I'm just sick of lying. Telling lies and being lied to, when sometimes all I want is the simplicity of a normal human life." After this Greg and Gemma hug each other and cry. * Trivia * Gemma sounds like "gem" and her surname "Bridge" conveys the idea that she is a bridge between two intelligent species. * Gemma was influenced by Chibiusa from Sailor Moon and Steven from Steven Universe. * Like Chibiusa, Gemma looks young for her age (Chibiusa is over 900 years old) and lives in the shadow of her mother's monumental legacy. Their hair is also tied the same way. * In early ideas, Gemma was going to have a little sister named Crystal, who looked like the Sailor Moon character Chibi-Chibi.